


To The Rescue

by Lothiriel84



Category: The Bunker (Podcast)
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Autism Spectrum, Gen, I Don't Even Know, I'm Sorry, Medical Inaccuracies, meltdowns and shutdowns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24276982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: Put on your body armorPrepare your alibis'Cause there is no one elseGonna put it right
Relationships: Tom Dalling & David Knight (The Bunker)
Kudos: 1





	To The Rescue

They’re in the middle of one of their bimonthly post-Big Headache Employee Feedback and Positivity Share Space Seminars when someone notices David’s missing.

“Where’s that idiot got to now,” Alex huffs irritably. “Go and fetch him, Tom, will you?”

“Right,” he shrugs, and slowly gets to his feet. The prospect of having to talk David round when he’s in one of his moods is far from appealing, but he’d rather not argue with Alex, either, so he settles for doing a cursory check of the dormitories to see what David’s up to – he’s usually very keen on this sort of initiative, which is little more than a remnant of those awful Happiness Inc. Company Mandated Employment Engagement Surveys, and just as useless, if you ask Tom.

It’s only after it becomes apparent there’s no trace of David anywhere in the living area that he starts to grow faintly worried. In the end, he decides he might as well check the storage room, and that’s where he finds him, face down on the floor among the crates of beer and the cartons of cigarettes.

“David? You all right down there, buddy?” he clears his throat, his brain stalling as it straight up refuses to process the option they might faced with yet another ‘Jerry situation’, as Charlie has taken to refer to it. Still, as unresponsive as he looks, David appears to be breathing normally, and as far as he can tell he may even be at least partially conscious, which gives Tom the courage he needs to take a step forward and crouch at his side. He takes one hard look at what portion he can see of his face, hesitates halfway through reaching out to touch him; David’s eyes follow the movement, but there’s no sign he recognises him, or even acknowledges his presence.

“Hey, David, man, could you at least give me a sign you can hear me, yeah?”

David closes his eyes, exhales slowly. Opens them again, and it while it still feels like he’s looking right through Tom, there’s a sense he’s doing it on purpose rather than as a reflexive response.

“All right, here’s an idea. How about one blink for yes, two blinks for no?”

A blink. “That’s great, man. Are you hurt?”

Two blinks, slow yet clearly intentional. “So, you just – fancied lying face down on the floor for a bit?”

One blink. “Oh. Okay. Any particular reason why? Sorry, that’s not a yes or no question. Let me see – is there any way I can help?”

A blink, again. “Right. Should I just – leave you to it, then?”

One blink, a pause, then another blink. “Is that a no? Shall I, um, just sit here on the floor for a bit?”

No response. “David?”

Blink. “Right you are. Any excuse to get out of yet another of Alex’s motivational speeches, am I right?”

A loud exhale. “Well, Charlie’s just as bad, with his doom-and-gloom attitude. Just don’t tell him I said that.”

David shuts his eyes, and he just lets him be for a while. He’s not sure how much time has passed when the sound of footsteps makes itself heard at the other side of the door.

“Tom? David? Are you in there?”

Thank heavens it’s only Dave. Tom heaves a sigh of relief, and calls out, “Yeah, there was – a bit of an issue with some nasty mould, I’m helping David check all the packing cases are clean.”

“Eurgh. Better you than me, man,” Dave acquiesces almost immediately. “I’m gonna tell the others you’re not coming.”

“Cheers, man. I’ll see you later.”

From where he’s lying completely still on the floor, David blinks once, as if by way of a thank-you, then shuts his eyes once more.


End file.
